My Crazy Cousin Courtney: My Crazy Cousin Courtney

Cathy and her cousin Courtney are notably dissimilar--Cathy is responsible and polite, while Courtney is audacious and unpredictable. When Courtney visits for the summer, both girls learn to appreciate each other's differences while making discoveries about themselves at the same time. Their new friendship helps each girl confront the changes that begin to flood her life. Though Miller's story starts out smoothly, her narration becomes choppy and less cohesive as the plot unfolds. The text grows wordy and confusing, even though the action described is for the most part humorous. A generally promising story is marred by such awkward sentences as ``Frank looked at me and I looked at Courtney and Courtney looked at me and Frank'' and ``I had thought Frank liked me, but he liked Courtney and Courtney knew he liked her and she liked him.'' Ages 9-12. (Mar.)